Daily chart

High spirits

ASIA'S growing middle classes are driving demand in the global spirits market. According to IWSR, a market-research firm, consumption last year grew by 1.6% to 27 billion litres—and China, the world’s biggest market, quaffed 38% of that. The national liquor, baijiu,accounts for a whopping 99.5% of all spirits consumed there, so China does not even feature in rankings of the best-known internationally consumed spirits, below. The most popular of these is vodka, mainly because it is drunk in copious amounts in Russia. Russians downed nearly 2 billion litres of the stuff in 2012, equivalent to 14 litres for every man, woman and child. (Unsurprisingly, perhaps, Russians are among the biggest drinkers in the world, according to the most recent World Health Organisation data.) The Filipinos' taste for gin can be attributed in part to good marketing and to the spirit's long-established toe-hold in the local market. Ginebra San Miguel, a firm that makes the world's two best-selling brands, started operations there in 1834.

Today, the greatest enemy of the Russian people, killing more citizens, shrinking their population with more devastation than any war, and holding back their economy today is not America, China, Islam, Chechnyans, Arabs, or Terrorism.

Their greatest threat is an internal demon that also plagued the Soviet Union:
ALCOHOLISM.

It is the cause in plain sight: on every corner, in every coat and on every table.
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America and NATO Allies faced the Soviet Union in the Cold War for over 50 years.
And it turned out the most important factor in the demise of the Soviet Union was not nuclear weapons, superior armies, or diplomacy; it was internal disintegration.
And it was Vodka corrosion.
-Alcoholism has killed more Soviet soldiers than NATO ever did.
-Vodka as a weapon was more effective than the B-52, F-15 or M-16 weapon systems --COMBINED-- for Soviet Army decimation.
-At any one time, 30% of the Soviet army was drunk or hungover. And that included the nuclear launch forces! It is no different today.
-Alcoholism is the biggest source of accidents in the Russian fleet grounding ships and keeping the Russian ships in port for 90% of vessel life. Sailing is just too dangerous.
-Did the Mujahadeen beat the Soviets or just their own drunkeness?
-Alcoholism caused more Russian deaths than those due to both Stalin or Hitler's Genocide--COMBINED!
-Boris Yeltsin was drunk or hungover most of his presidency. Other top leaders drink vodka like Coca-Cola.
-Putin has tried to wean the Russian people from Vodka by encouraging a healthy alternative--BEER. OR wine. Anything with a slightly lower alcohol proof.
-Alcoholism today is shortening Russian lives--which is exceptional in modern nation. Russian life expectancy is now lower than Cuba, Guyana, North Korea or Libya.
-Alcoholism is shrinking the population. Russia is now smaller than Bangladesh.
-Alcoholism is the leading cause of mental retardation and birth defects in Russian children.
-Alcoholism is the leading cause of Russian family disintegration.
-Alcoholism is the leading cause of accidents in the Russian Space Program.
-Alcoholism is the leading cause of violence, major disability, paralysis and automobile deaths.
-Alcoholism is the leading cause of school, factory and government absenteeism.
-And Alcoholism sabotaged Soviet Industry and Economy more than any trade policy, sanction or CIA plot.
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Today the Russians are considerably wealthier than in Soviet times.
But their life expectancy is shorter with more ill health.
Wealth has brought them luxuries but also abundant imported alcohol, and it is killing them.
If we were smart, we may have ended the Cold War a generation early if we simply Imported Subsidized Vodka to Russia. OR just given it away for free as a token gesture to the Soviet Army.
--That would have cost less than half the price of one B-1 bomber.
And would have fueled millions of Non-Communist Parties.

American farmers can make pure Vodka for under a dollar a liter.
IT is so cheap they put in car fuel.

The Brazilians can make vodka for under 25 cents a liter. It is cheaper than bottle water.
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Over 70 years ago, Churchill said of the enigmatic Soviet Union:
"It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma... but perhaps there is a key: Russian self-interest.”

Churchill was wrong: I propose an alternative key.
Give the Russians what they rally want...inexpensive high quality vodka.
Flood the market!
Allow them widespread free-flowing, great vodka--cheaper than water.
If only Stalin drank more Vodka, the Russians would be happier, more populated, more functional.
And more prosperous today if Stalin died of acute alcoholic poisoning as a young man.
And he would have been happier.

Alcohol has killed more Russians than Hitler and Stalin--COMBINED!
A Perfect Socialism Utopia is only a bottle away.

That is the solution to 50 Years of Cold War in a bottle.

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We cannot predict Russian behavior. But we can predict the behavior of alcoholics => And that is Bankable!

Dealing with Putin's Russia is like dealing with an alcoholic neighbor in terminal spiral.
He is sometimes charming, but also unexpectedly violent.

Sometimes our greatest enemies are not invading armies but our own internal demons.
And our denial makes them invisible and insidious.

Putin can improve Russia's hopes, but it would take 12 long painful steps.
Instead shaking a stick and raging against America and Europe is a lot easier.

What? Sacrebleu! The French drink almost ten (!) times as much scotch as the Americans? Oh, we probably drink more bourbon. But still. Come on TE, these spirits are for the uncivilized. Let's see how much fruit alcohol is being consumed by whom. Potato alcohol. Of course, the muzhiks drink potato distillates...

Yes, I do. What a farce. Anybody who will grow poetic over a bottle of grain alcohol must be educated about the finer things in life. Anybody not able to discern the superiority of a bottle of fine calvados to any grain alcohol has very little to say about booze worth listening to...

Except for Russia, I am surprised. I didn't expect India, of all places, to be #1 in rum, instead of Cuba; France to be #1 in Scotch Whisky (that's the influence of so many British and American movies), and the Philippines #1 in gin, instead of the United Kingdom (well, Elizabeth the Queen Mother died over 10 years ago, but Prince Philip and others are still there).

Tequila shows how many Mexicans and Mexican-Americans there are in the US, and the US is always #1 or #2 anyway! Well, I suppose this is one of the reasons why it's the World Superpower...

Horilka is not "equivalent" to vodka -- it's THE word for vodka. As in: Ukraine has its own language. So it would have been taken into account. Life is just warmer and better in Ukraine than in Russia or Belаrus.

If you follow TE for long enough you see that CTD reposts EVERYTHING several times. You should see the amount of times he compares a middle class person to a millionaire Robber Barron from 100 years ago. I imagine that only reason that it isn't considered spam is that he has so many little rants he copies and pastes.

wonder what baijiu's litre per person is. Considering it's 38% of the spirit consumed, and China's population is about 25% of the world. Chinese probably drink higher than world averages. (or if the 38% number is dollar amount, then baijiu could be overpriced as well)